A man has been charged with two counts of rape and two assaults following an alleged incident in Eastham, Wirral on Sunday afternoon.

Police were called to the junction of Raeburn Avenue and Elgar Avenue in Eastham at around 4.30am on Sunday after reports that a teenage girl had been sexually assaulted and her friends attacked as they made their way home after night out.

On arrival, officers found a 17-year-old girl who had been subjected to a serious sexual assault. They also found three males – aged 17, 18 and 19 – with facial and head injuries.

The group of friends were thought to have been attacked by the same man.

Luke Patten, 18, of Bridle Road, Eastham was arrested and will appear before Wirral Magistrates Court in Birkenhead tomorrow.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hampson said: “This was a terrible incident and all four individuals have been left distressed by their ordeals. I would like to reassure the local community that incidents like this are thankfully very rare and neighbourhood officers will be patrolling this area. We are determined to bring the person responsible to justice but we need the public’s help. I would urge anyone who may have witnessed this incident, anyone who may have seen a man acting suspiciously around that time in the local area or anyone with information to get in touch. Information that seems trivial to them may turn out to be crucial for our investigation.”

All four alleged victims received medical treatment and the 19-year-old remains in hospital on Monday evening. The girl is also receiving on-going support from the force’s specialist Unity Team.